tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542Tue, 24 Feb 2015 13:25:30 +0000Jeffrey BillardDonnie NortonNortheastern UniversityFormative AssessmentIntegrating the Arts in our SchoolsKeith CaldwellRationale for integrating the artspoetryBrain ResearchDramaSir Ken RobinsonphotosAuthentic AssessmentBrain-Based LearningCreative MovementCritical PedagogyDebra DirksenMassachusetts State FrameworksMathPutting language to integrating the artsWho We AreWorkshop PhotosWorkshopsClassroom set upCourseCritical Pedagogy on the webD. SousaDavid SousaEdutopiaFormative AssessmentsMaking lessons relevant to students' livesMusicPaulo FreireResearchSafe ClassroomsSafe ZoneTest Scorespoem'Art'Alice KeelerBanking Theory of EducationBring on the Learning RevolutionConceptual AgeConstructivismCreating New KnowledgeCreativityDaniel PinkDeepak ChopraDialogue on LearningDr. Lora LawsonDr. Normand BerlinEdevolutionEmbodied CognitionEmpathyErika SaundersExamining our teaching practicesFacebookGame Based LearningGamificationGraveyard setupHow much classroom time is taken up by "Teacher Talk?"How the Brain LearnsImageryImprovImprov EncyclopediaJensenJoe KincheloeJohn DeweyJudgement-Free ClassroomKarel RoseKinesthetic LearningLearning by DoingListeningMailing ListMassachusetts BenchmarksMath and DanceMetacognitionMetaphorMichele ObamaMike KuczalaMovementMultiple IntelligencesNewsletterPedagogyPlayback TheaterPlaysheetsProcessing TimeReferencesReflectionsRethinking SchoolsSATsSebastian SeungSerndipSet the ToneShakespeareSongs for Social StudiesSource MaterialStandardsStaying ConnectedSummative AssessmentTeaching Through The ArtsA celebration of integrating creative movement, visual arts, drama, poetry, music, and storytelling into everyday teaching practices since 2006. This is a place to both share and learn new approaches that engage and energize our students, our teaching practices and ourselves.http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)Blogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-6480787141800315078Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:49:00 +00002014-07-14T08:50:20.402-04:00Teaching Through The Arts: "Gamification" I Like the Sound of That and So Wil...<a href="http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2014/07/gamification-i-like-sound-of-that-and.html?spref=bl">Teaching Through The Arts: "Gamification" I Like the Sound of That and So Wil...</a>: Walk into many high school classrooms a few minutes before class starts and what will you see? A large number of students will be on their c...http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2014/07/teaching-through-arts-gamification-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-441294776700440909Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:29:00 +00002014-07-14T08:33:41.975-04:00Alice KeelerGame Based LearningGamificationJeffrey BillardPlaysheets"Gamification" I Like the Sound of That and So Will Students<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walk into many high school classrooms a few minutes before class starts and what will you see? A large number of students will be on their cell phones, iPads, etc. and many of those will be playing games. So if they like playing games (and who doesn't?), then shouldn't we be figuring out how to take advantage of this in the learning process? Like making a worksheet into a "playsheet" perhaps. In her article <span style="color: purple;"><a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/beyond-worksheet-playsheets-gbl-gamification-alice-keeler" target="_blank">"Beyond the Worksheet: Playsheets, GBL, and Gamification"</a></span> (I love that term), Educational Technology Specialist Alice Keeler discusses how using electronic devices to play learning games in class has become a hot topic in education.&nbsp;</span><br /><br />She defines the following terms as <span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">GBL [Game Based Learning] is when students play games to learn content. Gamification is the application of game based elements to non-game situations."</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keller also&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">goes on to discuss&nbsp;the use of&nbsp;playsheets instead of worksheets; it's a thought-provoking argument that may be useful in your classroom this fall. Here are 5 benefits of using&nbsp;playsheets from the article.</span></span><br /><h3 style="background-color: white; font-weight: 500; line-height: 21px; margin: 1em 0px 0.3333em; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">5 Benefits to Using Playsheets in the Classroom</span></h3><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most math games created for the tablet devices are playsheets. The gaming elements are superfluous to the learning objective -- for example, shooting space aliens when answering math facts correctly. Playsheets are not bad. While they may be described as&nbsp;<a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/serious-games-not-chocolate-broccoli-matthew-farber" style="color: #1e64b4; text-decoration: none;">chocolate-covered broccoli</a>, students do enjoy playing playsheets.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are five benefits to using playsheets in the classroom.</span></div><ol style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><li style="margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Engagement:</strong>&nbsp;Students are engaged in their learning. The gaming elements draw students in and motivate them to continue practicing. You can find students voluntarily practicing playsheets, even when they are not assigned.</span></li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><li style="margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Feedback:</strong>&nbsp;Digital playsheets have the advantage of giving students immediate feedback. This alone is an advantage over traditional worksheets. Students can correct their mistakes or ask for help before they have practiced incorrectly too many times. They don't have to wait for the teacher to grade their work to know that they're doing a good job, because the work is corrected after every question. Success breeds success. As a student is successful, he or she will continue to practice.</span></li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><li style="margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Progress:</strong>&nbsp;Typically, a playsheet allows students to know what their score is as they play the game. A progress bar, adding stars, or a tally of the number of correct answers can help students feel that their efforts are resulting in positive progress. They're able to set goals to help push themselves beyond what they would normally strive for.</span></li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><li style="margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Celebrate Success:</strong>&nbsp;Playsheets often have elements that encourage students and help them feel successful. This motivates them to continue playing. Sound effects can help the student know he or she is on the right or wrong track. Words or stars can appear, helping the student to feel as if his or her efforts are being celebrated. When a student reaches a certain level, it becomes something that we as teachers can celebrate with the child. Reaching a short-term goal is something to get excited about.</span></li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><li style="margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Self Grading:</strong>&nbsp;Digital playsheets can free up teachers' time. They spend less time grading worksheets and reviewing answers with their class. Instead, they have more time to engage with students and design activities that continue to stimulate and challenge. This allows for a shift in what is possible in the classroom.</span></li></ol><div class="picture-left" style="background-color: white; float: left; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-right: 20px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; width: 460px;"><span alt="" class="media-image" data-picture="" height="288" title="" width="460"><span data-src="http://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_breakpoints_theme_edutopia_desktop_1x/public/content/7f/keeler-playsheets-ninjamath.jpg?itok=JumegCQv"></span><span data-media="(max-width: 480px)" data-src="http://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_breakpoints_theme_edutopia_desktop_1x/public/content/7f/keeler-playsheets-ninjamath.jpg?itok=JumegCQv"></span><span data-media="(max-width: 480px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 480px) and (-o-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 480px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 480px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx)" data-src="http://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_breakpoints_theme_edutopia_desktop_1x/public/content/7f/keeler-playsheets-ninjamath.jpg?itok=JumegCQv"></span><span data-media="(max-width: 768px)" data-src="http://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_breakpoints_theme_edutopia_desktop_1x/public/content/7f/keeler-playsheets-ninjamath.jpg?itok=JumegCQv"></span><span data-media="(max-width: 768px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 768px) and (-o-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 768px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (max-width: 768px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx)" data-src="http://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_breakpoints_theme_edutopia_desktop_1x/public/content/7f/keeler-playsheets-ninjamath.jpg?itok=JumegCQv"></span><span data-media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 979px)" data-src="http://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_breakpoints_theme_edutopia_desktop_1x/public/content/7f/keeler-playsheets-ninjamath.jpg?itok=JumegCQv"></span><span data-media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 979px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 979px) and (-o-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 979px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 979px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx)" data-src="http://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_breakpoints_theme_edutopia_desktop_1x/public/content/7f/keeler-playsheets-ninjamath.jpg?itok=JumegCQv"></span><span data-media="(min-width: 980px)" data-src="http://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_breakpoints_theme_edutopia_desktop_1x/public/content/7f/keeler-playsheets-ninjamath.jpg?itok=JumegCQv"></span><span data-media="(min-width: 980px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (min-width: 980px) and (-o-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (min-width: 980px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), (min-width: 980px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx)" data-src="http://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_breakpoints_theme_edutopia_desktop_1x/public/content/7f/keeler-playsheets-ninjamath.jpg?itok=JumegCQv"></span><img alt="" src="http://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_breakpoints_theme_edutopia_desktop_1x/public/content/7f/keeler-playsheets-ninjamath.jpg?itok=JumegCQv" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" title="" /></span><br /><div style="color: #6a6a6a; display: inline; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;">Image from Ninja Math app.</div>&nbsp;<h7 style="color: #6a6a6a; display: inline; font-size: 10px;">Credit:&nbsp;<a class="external-link" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thinkinggarden.android.acrobaticninjamath" style="color: #1e64b4; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Thinking Garden</a></h7></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em;">Playsheets are not a substitute for teachers. While playsheets can be a part of the learning environment the teacher creates, they should not be the entire educational experience. Using playsheets in place of paper worksheets has tremendous benefits, but this format can never replace engaging activities, projects, and discussions. As with all things, moderation is the key.</div>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2014/07/gamification-i-like-sound-of-that-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-6576670815270730304Mon, 14 Jul 2014 01:04:00 +00002014-07-14T08:35:24.641-04:00Jeffrey BillardMaking lessons relevant to students' livesThinking and Having a Voice: "Save the Last Word for Me" ActivityIn this age of let's memorize this content or this form of writing so we can do well on the high stakes testing and pretend that we learned something valuable, it becomes more and more important for us to get our students to think and have a voice. Allowing students the opportunity to come up with their own ideas and cultivate a point of view can often get lost in the race to cover content. This activity called <span style="color: red;">"Save the Last Word for Me"</span> from <span style="color: blue;">Facing History and Ourselves</span> is a way to facilitate thinking and voice for all of our students. I'm definitely going to use it this fall.<br /><br /><h1 class="page__title title" id="page-title" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0c8689; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 1.71429em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 26px; margin-top: 0px; padding-top: 0.2em;">Save the Last Word for Me</h1><br /><br /><article class="node-3058 node node-teaching-strategy node-promoted view-mode-full clearfix" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2b2d2c; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;"><h3 class="field-label" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #00aebc; font-family: Rokkitt, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 26px; margin-top: 0px;">Rationale</h3><div class="field-rationale" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.71429em;">“Save the Last Word for Me” is a discussion strategy that requires all students to participate as active speakers and listeners. Its clearly defined structure helps shy students share their ideas and ensures that frequent speakers practice being quiet. It is often used as a way to help students debrief a reading or film.</div></div><h3 class="field-label" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #00aebc; font-family: Rokkitt, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 26px; margin-top: 0px;">Procedure</h3><div class="field-procedure" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.71429em;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Step one: Preparation</strong></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.71429em;">Identify a reading or video excerpt that will serve as the catalyst for this activity.</div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.71429em;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Step two: Students read and respond to text</strong></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.71429em;">Have students read or view the selected text. Ask students to highlight three sentences that particularly stood out for them and write each sentence on the front of an index card. On the back they should write a few sentences explaining why they chose that quote - what it meant to them, reminded them of, etc. They may have connected it to something that happened to them in their own life, to a film or book they saw or read, or to something that happened in history or is happening in current events.<br /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Step three:</strong>&nbsp;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sharing in small groups</strong></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.71429em;">Divide the students into groups of three, labeling one student A, one B, and the other C. Invite “A”s to read one of their chosen quotations. Then students B and C discuss the quotation. What do they think it means? Why do they think these words might be important? To whom?&nbsp; After several minutes, as the A students to read the back of their cards (or to explain why they picked the quotation), thus having “the last word.” This process continues with the B student sharing and then student C.</div></div><h3 class="field-label" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #00aebc; font-family: Rokkitt, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 26px; margin-top: 0px;">Variations</h3><div class="field-variations" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.71429em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 30px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Using images:&nbsp;</strong>This same process can be used with images instead of quotations. You could give students a collection of posters, paintings and photographs from the time period you are studying and then ask students to select three images that stand out to them.&nbsp; On the back of an index card, students explain why they selected this image and what they think it represents or why it is important.<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">&nbsp;</strong></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Using questions:&nbsp;</strong>Ask students to think about three “probing” questions the text raises for them.&nbsp; (A “probing” question is interpretive and evaluative. It can be discussed and has no clearly defined “right” answer, as opposed to clarifying questions which are typically factual in nature.)&nbsp; Students answer the question on the back of their card. In small groups, students select on of their questions for the other two students to discuss.</li></ul></div></article>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2014/07/thinking-and-having-voice-save-last.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-6263287463368888541Sat, 12 Jul 2014 17:32:00 +00002014-07-12T13:56:42.141-04:00Creative MovementEmbodied CognitionIntegrating the Arts in our SchoolsJeffrey BillardPutting language to integrating the arts"Embodied Cognition" We Think With and Through Our BodiesI love learning new terms and putting language to concepts; it helps me to learn it better and also helps me to explain it to others better. Allowing students to move so they can learn and think has been a constant theme in this blog, and the term <span style="color: red;">"embodied cognition,"</span> thinking with and through our bodies from the article <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/07/educational_technology_s_next_move_tools_to_help_kids_learn_with_their_bodies.html" target="_blank">"The Body Learns"</a>&nbsp; by Annie Murphy Paul on Slate.com discusses the importance of getting the body involved in the learning process.<br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #281b21; font-family: sl-ApresRegular; line-height: 27px;">In a series of experiments carried out more than a decade ago, Arthur Glenberg of Arizona State University "</span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ685001" style="background-color: white; font-family: sl-ApresBold; line-height: 27px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">found</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sl-ApresRegular; line-height: 27px;">&nbsp;that children’s reading comprehension improved when they acted out a written text</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #281b21; font-family: sl-ApresRegular; line-height: 27px;">, using a set of representational toys (a miniature barn and horse, for example, accompanied a story about a farm). Glenberg then&nbsp;</span><a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11251-009-9096-7" style="background-color: white; color: #660033; font-family: sl-ApresBold; line-height: 27px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">demonstrated</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #281b21; font-family: sl-ApresRegular; line-height: 27px;">&nbsp;that the same procedure could work on a digital platform: In a 2011 experiment, he showed that having first- and second-grade students manipulate images of toys on a computer screen after reading a story benefits their comprehension as much as physical manipulation of the toys."</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #281b21; font-family: sl-ApresRegular; line-height: 27px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #281b21; font-family: sl-ApresRegular;"><span style="line-height: 27px;">Games are also an important learning tool for students and not just for the young ones either; we use games all the time at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Never make the mistake of thinking that what you're doing is too childish for the students in front of you; they'll love it. Here's a great game described in the article:&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #281b21; font-family: sl-ApresRegular; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.8;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #281b21; font-family: sl-ApresRegular; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.8;">"Mina Johnson Glenberg (who is married to Arthur Glenberg and also works at Arizona State, as director of the university’s Embodied Games for Learning lab) is taking the embodied approach even further, designing educational games that engage learners’ entire bodies.</span><br /><div class="text-11 text parbase section" style="background-color: white; color: #281b21; font-family: sl-ApresRegular; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><div style="line-height: 1.8; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">A&nbsp;<a href="http://egl.lsi.asu.edu/alienhealth.html" style="color: #660033; font-family: sl-ApresBold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">program</a>&nbsp;called the Alien Health Game, for example, presents students with this scenario: “You have just woken up to find an alien under your bed. It is hungry and it is your job to figure out what makes it healthy.” From an array of foods, users learn to choose the ones that are most nutritious, and then must dance, jump, and exercise to help the alien digest his meal. (A bonus: The game is so physically active that it measurably elevates users’ heart rates.)"</div></div>Take a few moments to read it, and you just might agree. Of course the challenge, as always, is implementing this type of learning in a system that is set up to keep students quiet and in their seats. But that's the great thing about being a teacher: rising to the challenges and making them happen for our students.http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2014/07/embodied-cognition-we-think-with-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-4148767019929471317Fri, 11 Jul 2014 21:43:00 +00002014-07-11T17:48:36.673-04:00Jeffrey BillardBates Middle School: Transformation Through Arts Integration<h3 style="background-color: white; margin: 1em 0px 0.3333em; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">In our age of showing&nbsp;results through data, the Wiley H. Bates Middle School is doing just that. Check out their results after integrating the arts for just four years. Click on the link for <a href="http://www.edutopia.org/stw-arts-integration" target="_blank">Edutopia</a> to read what they've accomplishes. It's worth the time.</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;">Arts integration has been shown by several rigorous studies to increase student engagement and achievement among youth from both low and high socioeconomic backgrounds</span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: 500;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="grey" style="color: #6a6a6a; font-weight: 500;">(Catterall, Dumais, &amp; Hampden-Thompson, 2012; Upitis &amp; Smithrim, 2003, cited in Upitis 2011; Walker, McFadden, Tabone, &amp; Finkelstein, 2011)</span><span style="font-weight: 500;">. Arts integration was introduced at&nbsp;</span><a class="external-link" href="http://www.aacps.org/aacps/bams/index.asp" style="color: #1e64b4; font-weight: 500; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Wiley H. Bates Middle School</a><span style="font-weight: 500;">, in Annapolis, Maryland, as part of their&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4345241502071833542" hrf="/pdfs/stw/edutopia-stw-bates-artsintegration-culture-sip.pdf" style="font-weight: 500;">school improvement plan</a><span style="font-weight: 500;">&nbsp;in 2008 after the district applied for and was awarded a four-year grant under the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) Grant Program.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">Since arts integration was first implemented at Bates, the percentage of students achieving or surpassing standards for reading has grown from 73 percent in 2009 to 81 percent in 2012, and from 62 percent to 77 percent for math during the same period, while disciplinary problems decreased 23 percent from 2009 to 2011.</span> According to the&nbsp;<a class="external-link" href="http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/" style="color: #1e64b4; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)</a>&nbsp;data, math and reading scores among students in grades 6-8 have shown a long trend of improvement across the state of Maryland. However, the percentage of students proficient or advanced at Bates has grown nearly 12 times faster than the state in reading, and four times faster in math. Science achievement among eighth graders also has outpaced the state from 2009 to 2011. Teachers and staff report that arts integration has been one of the key reasons for the school's improvement. Several research-based practices contribute to the success of arts integration at Bates Middle School:</span></div></h3><h3 style="background-color: white; font-family: MuseoSlab-500, 'Arial Narrow', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 21px; margin: 1em 0px 0.3333em; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-size: small;">OUTCOMES</span></h3><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em;">Since focusing on arts integration, this school has achieved the following:</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em;">• English-language learners increased their achievement in math and reading by almost 30 percent.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em;">• Special ed scores jumped higher than hoped.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">• The school is developing a body of research data that shows that arts integration can help struggling students learn standard curricula.<br /><br /><br /><label style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #6a6a6a; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-size: 13px;">Enrollment</label><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #6a6a6a; font-size: 13px;">&nbsp;</span><span class="data" style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #6a6a6a; font-size: 13px;">715</span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #6a6a6a; font-size: 13px;">&nbsp;|&nbsp;</span><span class="area-type" style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #6a6a6a; font-size: 13px;">Public, Suburban</span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #6a6a6a; font-size: 13px;"></span><br /><div class="field-collection-container clearfix" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-style: none; color: #6a6a6a; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 1em;"><div class="field field-name-field-school-statistics field-type-field-collection field-label-hidden" style="margin: 0px;"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full" style="border-bottom-style: none; margin: 1em 0px 0px !important; padding: 0px;"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-school-statistics clearfix" style="float: left; width: 280px;"><div class="content" style="margin-top: 0px; width: 280px;"><div class="field field-name-field-school-stats-subhead field-type-text field-label-hidden" style="color: black; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">PER PUPIL EXPENDITURES</div><div class="field field-name-field-school-stats-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden" style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em;"><strong style="color: #d3680c;">$7,451</strong>&nbsp;District |&nbsp;<strong style="color: #d3680c;">$4,694</strong>&nbsp;State</div>Data is from the 2010-11 academic year.</div></div></div></div></div><div class="field-item odd"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final" style="border-bottom-style: none; margin: 1em 0px 0px !important; padding: 0px;"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-school-statistics clearfix" style="float: left; width: 280px;"><div class="content" style="margin-top: 0px; width: 280px;"><div class="field field-name-field-school-stats-subhead field-type-text field-label-hidden" style="color: black; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">DEMOGRAPHICS</div><div class="field field-name-field-school-stats-text field-type-text-long field-label-hidden" style="margin: 0px;"><strong style="color: #d3680c;">46%</strong>&nbsp;Free/reduced lunch<br /><strong style="color: #d3680c;">10%&nbsp;</strong>Special needs<br /><strong style="color: #d3680c;">7%</strong>&nbsp;English-language learners<br /><strong style="color: #d3680c;">39%</strong>&nbsp;White<br /><strong style="color: #d3680c;">34%</strong>&nbsp;African American/black<br /><strong style="color: #d3680c;">20%</strong>&nbsp;Hispanic<br /><strong style="color: #d3680c;">2%</strong>&nbsp;Asian<br /><br />Data is from the 2011-12 academic year.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2014/07/bates-middle-school-transformation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-6007125927581913276Wed, 18 Jun 2014 17:01:00 +00002014-06-18T13:01:22.853-04:00The Benefits of an Arts Education by the Arts Education Partnership<br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">Integrating arts modalities into the academic curriculum is as important a priority as any issue facing American education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>For both the student and the teacher, the arts offer the opportunity to reflect on both content and process, and play an integral role in joining fact and meaning in a person's education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Learning through and with the arts inspires the creativity and imagination that is so essential to think critically, love deeply, and to live fully in a diverse and complex world.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">Check out the following link from the Arts Education Partnership that&nbsp; "offers a snapshot of how the arts support achievement in school, bolster skills demanded of a 21st century workforce, and enrich the lives of young people and communities."</div><br /><br /><a href="http://www.aep-arts.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Preparing-Students-for-the-Next-America-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">Preparing Students for the Next America: The Benefits of an Arts Education</a><br /><br />http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-benefits-of-arts-education-by-arts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Keith Caldwell, M.Ed.)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-3197519845510461171Tue, 02 Jul 2013 14:14:00 +00002013-07-02T10:14:34.117-04:00"Principal's Research Review" Recognizes the Research on the Value of Arts Education and Arts IntegrationThe National Association of Secondary School Principals recognizes the importance of integrated arts education.&nbsp; Click on the following link to read "The Arts: New Possibilities for Teaching and Learning" by Dr. Lauren Stevenson published in the <i>Principal's Research Review: Supporting Principal's Data-Driven Decisions.&nbsp; </i>As we have said so many times, being able to cite the research gives authenticity and credibility to educators advocating for arts integration in the everyday curriculum.<br /><a href="http://www.nassp.org/portals/0/content/53584.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.nassp.org/portals/0/content/53584.pdf</a><br /><br />http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2013/07/principals-research-review-recognizes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Keith Caldwell, M.Ed.)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-6463536339165088084Sat, 25 Aug 2012 15:40:00 +00002012-08-25T12:05:18.793-04:00"Bridging the Gap Between Math and Art" Scientific AmericanWe need to stop boring our students and work to instill a love of learning and an excitement to be in school. I become more and more convinced all the time that this is the foundation of a great learning environment-fostering a place where kids want to be. A place where they really want to come everyday. Is this a bit pie-in-the-sky? Maybe, but I choose to believe that we can make schools places that crackle with excitement instead of snooze in boredom.<br /><br />I remember taking math in high school; I got good grades, but I was bored stiff! In fact I hated it and learned very little. It's not that I hated the subject; I hated the unimaginative methods used to teach it--ones that were mired in the outdated paradigm that we still throw at our kids today: drill and kill and make no relevant connections to why we were studying this stuff. Why do we do this to our students? Why can't we find the joy in learning? Why can't we put the reasons why we need to learn this stuff out on the table and make it relevant to their lives? And if we can't do that, then why are we teaching it to them? Is it because it's always been taught that way? Maybe the worst reason of all!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w54E_vx19DU/UDjwVS7t_OI/AAAAAAAAB70/uYaol7BcNJ8/s1600/Scientific+American.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w54E_vx19DU/UDjwVS7t_OI/AAAAAAAAB70/uYaol7BcNJ8/s320/Scientific+American.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Okay, so what sent me off on this rant? A wonderful slide show called <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow.cfm?id=bridging-the-gap&amp;WT.mc" target="_blank">"Bridging the Gap Between Math and Art"</a> in <i>Scientific American</i>, a magazine I'm liking more and more all the time (and science was another subject I hated in high school, so I'm feeling another blog post coming on with that one). These artistic renderings of mathematical principles and concepts are astounding and something that I would love to have done in my study of math, and something that I would guess most students would like to do rather than sit at their desks and solve problem after problem.<br /><br />The caption to the project pictured reads: <br /><div id="fullCaptions" style="display: block;"><h2>"Mitered Fractal Tree I," by Koos Verhoeff and Anton Bakker</h2><div class="inline">(This sculpture was awarded Best of Show at the Bridges conference.)&nbsp;"<i>Mitered Fractal Tree</i> (designed late 1980s, first executed in wood), constructed from a beam with a rectangular cross section in the ratio 1:√2. When this beam is cut at 45 degrees, the result is a square cut face. When this beam is cut twice at 45 degrees, where the cuts are perpendicular, the result is a "roof" consisting of two smaller square panels. On this roof, two smaller copies of the entire tree are grown. No two branches point in the same direction. The result is an awe inspiring organic structure that is both highly structured and chaotic."—Koos Verhoeff &nbsp;[<a class="externalLink" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4345241502071833542" id="showMore" target="_blank">Less</a>] [<a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow.cfm?id=bridging-the-gap#1">Link to this slide</a>] </div><br /><i>Koos Verhoeff (design) and Anton Bakker (construction). Copyright Stichting Wiskunst Koos Verhoeff. Used with permission.</i></div><div id="fullCaptions" style="display: block;"></div><div id="fullCaptions" style="display: block;">All I can say, as I wrap this up, is I wish that someone had given me the opportunity to work on a project like this when I was studying math. But that's in the past, and I like to live in the present moment, so the positive takeaway from this is that we can do this now with the kids who are coming into our classes this September. Let's work on changing the paradigm! <i><br /></i></div>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/08/bridging-gap-between-math-and-art.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-2305207752050916878Thu, 23 Aug 2012 17:06:00 +00002012-08-23T13:08:50.603-04:00Thoreau Knew it in the 19th Century!How much time do our students spend in their seats? A good question to think about as we move back into our classrooms. Another question is how many of them need to "move to think" as Sir Ken Robinson reminds us. Henry David Thoreau knew it back in the 19th Century as he wrote in his journal:<br /><br /><a href="http://grammar.about.com/od/advicefromthepros/a/thoreauartofwriting.htm" target="_blank">Get Moving!How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live! Methinks that the moment my legs begin to move my thoughts begin to flow--as if I had given vent to the stream at the lower end and consequently new fountains flowed into it at the upper. A thousand rills which have their rise in the sources of thought--burst forth and fertilize my brain. . . . Only while we are in action is the circulation perfect. The writing which consists with habitual sitting is mechanical wooden dull to read.</a><br /><br />Take stock of your students when you go back to school and see which ones need to move around to get their thoughts to flow.<i> </i>The dividends may be huge.<i><br /></i>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/08/thoreau-knew-it-in-19th-century.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-4676449278075730056Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:58:00 +00002012-08-16T12:17:11.045-04:00"Fear and Anxiety Effectively Shut Down Higher Order Thinking" from MindUPAs educators we are in the communication business--whether it's with students, parents, administrators, colleagues it doesn't matter. In order to communicate well, we need to have the language to help others understand. To that end I'm always on the lookout for cogent, succinct language that will make any point I'm attempting to make accessible to the given audience. Lately I've been on a search for such language to explain how stress, anxiety and fear will shut down learning. Mindfulness Educator Lori Corry gave me an insightful lesson and introduced me to the <a href="http://www.thehawnfoundation.org/mindup/" target="_blank">MindUP</a> curriculum from the <a href="http://www.thehawnfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Hawn Foundation</a>. Here's the language that I understood and think others may as well.<br /><br /><b><i>When we are calm and peaceful the filter [amygdala: an information filter regulated by our emotional state] is wide open and information flows to the prefrontal cortex, where the brain's so-called executive functions take place. On the other hand when we are feeling negative and stressed out, these executive functions, which provide cognitive control, are inhibited. Indeed information stays in the amygdala; it doesn't flow into the prefrontal cortex for executive processing. Instead it's processed right on the spot as fight, flight or freeze. In this way, fear and anxiety effectively shut down higher-order thinking (Scholastic 9)</i></b>.<br /><br />So there it is: simply put and easily accessible. An important piece in getting ourselves and others to understand the importance of teaching mindfulness in our schools and having the research to back up what we are doing. If we can get policy makers to understand that social and emotional learning is just as important as core subjects, because they open up the learning pathways, then we'll be well on our way to improving learning and the well-being of our students.<br /><br /><i>The MindUp Curriculum. [brain-focused Strategies for Learning-and Living].</i> New York, NY: Scholastic, 2011. Print.<br /><br />http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/08/fear-and-anxiety-effectively-shut-down.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-2199296075839705913Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:25:00 +00002012-08-16T09:30:50.466-04:008 Ways to Reduce Stress at Work (or at School)<b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">Stressed employees dread coming into the office each day. These workers are often distracted and produce substandard work. Workers can use several strategies to reduce their stress levels and work more effectively.</span> </i>So begins Eric Thompson in his blog post <a href="http://www.officespaceforrent.org/blog/8-ways-to-reduce-stress-at-work/" target="_blank">"8 Ways to Reduce Stress at Work"</a> on <a href="http://officespaceforrent.org/">officespaceforrent.org</a>--a worthwhile read.</b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Most of us can probably relate to this regarding work, but with a few minor modifications it would fit in school as well and look something like this:</b><br /><br /><div style="color: purple;"><b>Stressed students dread coming to school each day. These students are often distracted and produce substandard work. Teachers can use several strategies to help reduce student stress levels and help them learn more effectively. </b></div><br /><b>Brain research is telling us that this is true from a physiological standpoint: <span style="color: red;">students cannot learn when they are stressed out--it's just not possible. </span>So the solution is to take the time to help relieve student stress so they can be ready to learn.</b><br /><br /><b>Here are some of the suggestions that Thompson posits with my comments in brackets and underneath:</b><br /><div style="color: red;"><b>Take a Walk/</b><b>Frequent Stretch Sessions</b></div><div style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: black;">Students learn better on their feet than in their seat, so it's imperative to incorporate movement into the class time.</span></b></div><div style="color: red;"></div><div style="color: red;"><b>Invest in a Stress Toy</b></div><div style="color: red;"><b style="color: black;">Some students do well if they have a stress ball at their desks or are allowed to doodle. </b><br /><br /></div><div style="color: red;"><b>Cubicle [Classroom] Decorations</b></div><div style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: black;">Classroom decorations that speak to the students are important. Try getting away from inspirational posters and other things that mean nothing to students. Instead let them have a say in what goes on the walls and better yet let them make it. </span></b></div><div style="color: red;"><br /></div><div style="color: red;"><b>Meditate [Mindfulness]</b></div><div style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: black;">I'm convinced that mindfulness has a prominent place in our classrooms and should be taught the same as English and Math. It helps to open the students up to learn what they need.</span></b><br /><br /></div><div style="color: red;"><b>Develop Friendships</b></div><div style="color: red;"><b style="color: black;">Taking the time to foster relationships between peers in your classroom is time well spent and will pay huge dividends as the year progresses.</b><br /><br /></div><div style="color: red;"><b>Use Music to Reduce Stress</b></div><div style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: black;">Many students have reflected on how much the music I play in class helps them relieve stress and concentrate. Let's face it, most of our students play music while they study anyway, so is quiet the right mode for them to learn in? I frequently allow students to listen to their iPods when it's appropriate-the concentration level goes way up. And with apps like Spotify and Pandora, you can stream the music you want into your classroom and really change the dynamic.&nbsp;</span></b></div><div style="color: red;"><br /></div><div style="color: red;"></div><br />http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/08/8-ways-to-reduce-stress-at-work-or-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-8947832019227883323Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:37:00 +00002012-08-14T11:37:46.718-04:00So...What are Executive Functions Anyway?I see this term start to show up more and more in the educational lexicon, so I thought it might be a good idea to find a working definition and put it out there for the readers. <br /><br />This is from the<a href="http://www.minddisorders.com/Del-Fi/Executive-function.html" target="_blank"> Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders</a>: <br /><br />The term executive function describes a set of cognitive abilities that control and regulate other abilities and behaviors. Executive functions are necessary for goal-directed behavior. They include the ability to initiate and stop actions, to monitor and change behavior as needed, and to plan future behavior when faced with novel tasks and situations. Executive functions allow us to anticipate outcomes and adapt to changing situations. The ability to form concepts and think abstractly are often considered components of executive function. <br /><div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /></div>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/08/sowhat-are-executive-functions-anyway.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-5596140811840237000Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:24:00 +00002012-08-14T11:25:57.254-04:00Stress Relief Can Be the Key to Success in School from Scientific AmericanIt's becoming more clear to me all the time that as educators we need to provide a safe container in order to facilitate learning for the students who are entrusted to us. It's not just a "nice thing to do" for the kids as more and more brain research is telling us that students cannot learn when they are under great stress. The prefrontal cortex which oversees executive functions is compromised when a person is under great stress and when this happens...learning does not. It seems to be just that simple. One solution is to make sure our classrooms are safe and comfortable places for students to inhabit. Reducing stress at our classroom doors is the first step to laying the foundation for learning to take place. Mindfulness training is the next...but more on that in another post.<br /><br />Scientific American's article <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=stress-relief-can-be-key-success-school" target="_blank">"Stress Relief Can Be the Key to Success in School"</a> by Clancy Blair goes on to say, "An even more insidious effect [of stress] is the assault it can launch on a child's brain, impeding the development of critical cognitive skills. A number of researchers, including myself, have discovered that<span style="color: red;"> psychological stress affects the thinking skills and brain development of even very young children,</span> likely beginning prenatally. It is no mystery that stress thrives in difficult situations, but research is now showing that a disadvantaged upbringing may set back children in profound, lasting ways. In fact, stress may be one important mechanism through which poverty adversely affects children's ability to perform well in school."<br /><br />The article, of which only the preview is free, is well worth reading and thinking deeply about as we get ready to move back into our classrooms this fall. http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/08/stress-relief-can-be-key-to-success-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-2996157753763148324Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:39:00 +00002012-08-07T09:43:36.444-04:00TWENTY-ONE WAYS TO INVESTIGATE WHAT STUDENTS ARE LEARNING from Stemresources.com<div class="quote">As educators we are always searching for new and specific ways to gauge student learning and formative assessments fit that bill.&nbsp; These strategies from <a href="http://stemrecourses.com/">stemrecourses.com</a> are some of the best I've come across. Check them out. The quote from Easley &amp; Zwoyer is right on in the sense of not making judgments but finding out what students are thinking which is part of the essence of great teaching and powerful learning experiences. It also addresses how we need to get away from being disseminators of information which is something we have been championing here for years.<br /><h3>TWENTY-ONE WAYS TO INVESTIGATE WHAT STUDENTS ARE LEARNING</h3></div><div class="quote" style="color: black;"></div><div class="quote" style="background-color: white; color: purple;">"If you can both listen to children and accept their answers not as things to just be judged right or wrong but as pieces of information which may reveal what the child is thinking, you will have taken a giant step toward becoming a master teacher, rather than merely a disseminator of information." -Easley &amp; Zwoyer, 1975</div><br /><h3>Proof Points</h3><br />Black and William (1998), two leading authorities on the importance of teachers maintaining a practice of on-going formative assessment, defined it as, “all those activities undertaken by teachers, and by the students in assessing themselves, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged.”<br />Formative assessment encompasses a variety of strategies to determine student progress toward achieving specified learning goals.&nbsp; As Menken (2000) pointed out, “for assessments to be effective and useful for educators in instructional practice, they must be deeply entwined with the classroom teaching and learning driven by the standards.”&nbsp; Timely teacher feedback is an essential ingredient of this process.&nbsp;&nbsp; The habit of embedding formative assessments at key points during instruction yields information that teachers can use to identify and respond to problem learning areas.<br />The strategies for investigating student learning identified below provide different types of data from and about students.&nbsp; Many of these approaches are also suitable to use as homework assignments.&nbsp; It is appropriate to include the work generated through formative assessments in the comprehensive assessment system used to evaluate student performance.<br /><h3>TWENTY-ONE WAYS TO INVESTIGATE WHAT STUDENTS ARE LEARNING</h3><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/3-2-1Reflection/index.html" target="_blank">3-2-1 Reflection</a></b><br />Serves as a post-instructional activity that helps students to focus their ideas and synthesize large amounts of information.<br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/AsISeeIt/index.html">As I See It</a></b><br />Sentence stems that elicit opinions or understandings about key issues associated with a topic.<br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/Binoculars/index.html" target="_blank">Binoculars</a></b><br />Prompts students to reflect upon a matter that is “out there,” and which, at first glance, appears to have little or no affect on them.&nbsp;&nbsp; Binoculars challenges learners to recognize how seemingly unconnected issues may influence them.<br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/ChangesInTheWind/ChangesInTheWind.pdf" target="_blank">Changes In The Wind</a></b><br />Assesses the impact of reading, listening, viewing, etc.<br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/Definitions/index.html" target="_blank">Definitions Are Us</a></b> <br />Prompts students to develop their complete understanding of a term by creating their own definition.<br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/DirectedParaphrasing/index.html" target="_blank">Directed Paraphrasing</a></b><br />Builds personal definitions or explanations of concepts presented in class.<br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/ExitTicket/index.html" target="_blank">Exit Ticket</a></b><br />Prompts students to answer a question targeting the big idea of the lesson.<br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/FQR/FQR.pdf" target="_blank">Facts/Questions/Responses</a></b><br />Examines a piece of text in terms of identifying factual information, eliciting questions, and generating personal reactions.<br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/HowDoIKnow/index.html" target="_blank">How Do I Know What I Know?</a></b><br />Uses a tightly focused question set to determine a student’s level of understanding about key ideas or concepts. <br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/IsThatAFact/index.html" target="_blank">Is That a Fact?</a></b><br />Prompts students to examine the difference between a factual statement and an opinion-based statement. <br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/CompareNotes/index.html" target="_blank">Let’s Compare Notes</a></b><br />Provides the opportunity to build note-taking skills, characterize information, synthesize data, and assess student understanding. <br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/Priority/index.html" target="_blank">Make It a Priority</a></b> <br />Prompts students to generate and rank order alternative strategies to address an issue, solve a problem, or meet a need.<br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/Microscope/index.html" target="_blank">The Microscope </a></b><br />Asks to students reflect upon a specific experience, article, task, etc. and make generalized statements and connections to their personal, social, and academic lives. <br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/Mirror/index.html" target="_blank">The Mirror</a></b><br />Allows students to reflect upon themselves, their experiences, their knowledge, etc.<br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/Confusing/index.html" target="_blank">What’s Still Confusing Me...</a></b><br />Provides students with the opportunity to express to the teacher what they identify as the least understood aspect of the lesson. <br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/OneLastQuestion/index.html" target="_blank">One Last Question</a></b><br />Uses a final question to facilitate critical thinking about a specific concept covered in a lesson. <br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/OneSentenceSummary/index.html" target="_blank">One Sentence Summary</a></b><br />Uses tightly framed answers to a number of questions to summarize the big idea about a topic in a single sentence. <br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/PlusMinusInteresting/index.html" target="_blank">Plus/Minus/Interesting</a></b><br />Personal evaluation of a piece of text, object, picture in terms of its positive, negative, and interesting aspects. <br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/SequencingEvents/index.html" target="_blank">Sequencing Events</a></b> <br />Employs different visual forms: timeline, flowchart, etc to aide students in ordering things. <br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/ThinkingDiagram/index.html" target="_blank">Thinking Diagram</a></b><br />Compares and contrasts two objects or events in terms of their key attributes. <br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/VennDiagram/index.html" target="_blank">Venn Diagram</a></b><br />Compares and contrasts two different objects, ideas, or events. <br /><b><a href="http://www.stemresources.com/static/tools/Assessments/Formative/WaitAMinute/index.html" target="_blank">Wait a Minute</a></b><br />Reveals reactions to course materials, activities, and assignments. <br /><h3>Resources</h3><ul><li>Angelo, T. A. &amp; Cross, P. K. (1993). &nbsp;<i>Classroom Assessment Techniques</i> (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.</li><li>Black, P. and William, D. (1998, March). Assessment and classroom learning. <i>Assessment in Education</i>, pp. 7-74. </li><li>Boyd, Barry L. (2001). Formative Classroom Assessment: Learner Focused. <i>The Agricultural Education Magazine</i>, <i>73</i>, 5. </li><li>De Bono, E. (1999). <i>Six thinking hats</i>. Boston: Little Brown.</li><li>Hanson, H. F., Strong, R. J., Schwartz, R. W., &amp; Silver, P. B. (1996). <i>Learning styles and strategies</i>. Woodbridge, NJ: Thoughtful Education Press. </li><li>Hyerle, D. (1996). V<i>isual tools for constructing knowledge. </i>Alexandria, VA: ASCD.</li><li>Keely, P., Eberle, F. &amp; Farrin, L. (2006). <i>Uncovering student ideas in science. </i>Arlington, VA: NSTA Press </li><li>ohnson, D. W.; Johnson, R.T.; and Houlbec, E. J. (1993). <i>Circles of learning. </i>London: Routledge Press.</li><li>Lawler, J. C., Neuber, G. A., and Stover, L.T. (1993). <i>Creating interactive environments in secondary school. </i>Washington:National Education Association.</li></ul>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/08/twenty-one-ways-to-investigate-what.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-7840179248846214227Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:25:00 +00002014-07-11T17:51:16.201-04:00"Dinosaurs Across America" and Reading with PicturesEconomics is not a subject that I'm remotely interested in and was even less so when I was an eighth grade history student. But why do I remember it so well even to this day? The teacher taught it to us using a comic book. This simply underscores my belief that having fun in class and delivering concepts to students in a way that they enjoy and are interested in makes for some serious learning opportunities. To that end I highly recommend <a href="http://readingwithpictures.org/about-us/" target="_blank">Reading with Pictures</a><span style="color: black;"> (thanks to our reader Mat for bringing it to our attention)</span>-check it out and see if there is something there your students might enjoy learning from. <br /><br />Remember learning Geography in the old way with lots of those window-shade roll-up maps and memorization? If I could have learned this way I think I would have enjoyed it and it would have stuck with me. Take a look.<br /><br /><h1 class="post-title">DINOSAURS ACROSS AMERICA</h1><b>REVIEW</b><br />Geography, like many subjects, can be boring, fraught with the nasty notion that simply memorizing states and capitals constitutes learning. Phil Yeh, while presenting basic information about each state, also gives the reader a look into other aspects of the state, such as human interaction with the place, as well as history about the music, art, or technology that has shaped each state. There is even a little story to go along with the information to help the reader move along. It is a good thing.<br /><span id="more-3867"></span>We can forget, sometimes, that nonfiction has a special allure for some children. My wife is one of those who does not enjoy reading fiction. When I got DINOSAURS ACROSS AMERICA in the classroom, she commented that, as a child, this book would have been one of her favorites in the comic category. She was one of those children who enjoyed geography, including the memorization of states and capitals. Children like her need comics like this.<br /><b>ART REVIEW</b><br />The pages are split in half with two states appearing on each page. The illustrations are colorful and include not only an outline of the state and major cities, but also includes art that is distinctive to the state.<br /><a href="http://readingwithpictures.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Dinos1.jpeg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3870" src="http://readingwithpictures.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Dinos1.jpeg" height="200" title="Dinos1" width="138" /></a><br /><a href="http://readingwithpictures.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Dino2.jpeg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3869" src="http://readingwithpictures.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Dino2.jpeg" height="200" title="Dino2" width="138" /></a><br /><b>AGE RECOMMENDATION</b><br /><b>My Rating:</b> All Ages<br /><b>All Ages Reads:</b> No Rating<br /><b>Comics in the Classroom:</b> No Rating<br /><b>IN THE CLASSROOM:</b><br />DINOSAURS ACROSS AMERICA is the perfect place for children to begin to study geography, which is more than just memorizing the states and their capitals. The study of geography also includes the place, human interaction, movement and regions. Phil Yeh does a good job with presenting aspects of these major geographic themes throughout his book. For instance we learn that W.C. Handy, the father of The Blues, lived in Memphis, Tenn. We also discover that Nebraska was referred to as a desert until humans started irrigating. Students could discover how that irrigation transformed Nebraska into the state it is.<br /><b>AUTHOR:</b> <a href="http://www.hollywoodcomics.com/yeh.html">Phil Yeh</a><br /><b>ILLUSTRATOR:</b> Phil Yeh<br /><b>PUBLISHER:</b> <a href="http://www.nbmpub.com/comingup/comaugust.html">Nantier Beall Minoustchine</a><br /><b>GENRE:</b> Nonfiction<br /><b>FORMAT:</b> Hardback<br /><b>PAGES:</b> 32 pages<br /><b>COLOR:</b> Full color<br /><b>ISBN-10:</b> 1-56163-509-X<br /><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-1-56163-509-2<br /><b>MY RECOMMENDATION:</b><br /><i><b>Highly Recommended</b></i><br />Students need excellent nonfiction resources when studying all kinds of subjects, and DINOSAURS ACROSS AMERICA meets that need perfectly. Geared for elementary students, it is the go-to book when students begin to look at a place within the United States. It belongs on the classroom and school library shelf.http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/08/dinosaurs-across-america-and-reading.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-7087837233235246959Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:05:00 +00002012-08-06T11:05:59.950-04:00Five Easy Drama Games for the Early Elementary Classroom from ArtsEdgeSo many of the teachers who take our courses are hungry for quick and easy <a href="http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/how-to/tipsheets/five-easy-drama-games.aspx" target="_blank">drama games</a> to help engage students, enliven the classroom and help to teach that day's lessons. Here are five from ArtsEdge that are worth trying. Have fun!http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/08/five-easy-drama-games-for-early.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-4401592827667417727Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:25:00 +00002012-08-06T08:25:22.660-04:00Adjective MonsterLearning grammar the traditional way can be a mind-numbing experience to say the least; this lesson called <a href="http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-k-2/Adjective_Monster.aspx" target="_blank">Adjective Monster</a> from the <a href="http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons.aspx" target="_blank">ArtsEdge/Kennedy Center website</a> is anything but! Here's the summary from their site; this one is definitely worth a try.<br /><br />"This lesson explores the connections between visual art and language arts, and how both are used to creatively tell stories and express emotions. Students will read the book <i>Go Away Big Green Monster</i> by Ed Emberley. They will be introduced to adjectives as descriptive words then create their own monsters using paper sculpture techniques."http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/08/adjective-monster.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-9054060420313499748Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:08:00 +00002012-07-30T13:08:13.297-04:00Why do we teach what we teach?<b><i>The New York Times</i></b> piece "Is Algebra Necessary" is sure to elicit strong responses on all sides. For me it raises a larger question: why do we teach what we teach? Is it because it has value for our students or is it because it's always been done that way and is propagating an outmoded educational system that was developed in the 19th century to train factory workers or is it something else? Worth thinking about.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opinion/sunday/is-algebra-necessary.html?pagewanted=all&amp;src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opinion/sunday/is-algebra-necessary.html?pagewanted=all&amp;src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB</a>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/07/why-do-we-teach-what-we-teach.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-4281755439574048443Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:59:00 +00002012-07-16T14:59:56.984-04:00Storytelling as a Pedagogical Tool<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 14.0pt;">Summary of Daniel Pink's "Story" as one of the "Six Senses" as presented in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Whole New Mind</i></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">Pink describes story as “context enriched by emotion.” Traditionally, it is through story that important, meaningful information has been passed down through the generations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Factual information, so readily available to us through electronic media, lacks the "emotional impact" of stories. Emotion is the critical element that makes information relevant and memorable.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">For Pink, storytelling is an art modality that demands interpretation and relies on both creative and critical thought processes. As human beings, we author our lives by assembling artifacts of our past, and creating narratives that reveal our world and our true selves. That is, we live our stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Our stories reflect our years – the difficult storms and the peaceful joys. Therefore, sharing our stories adds more depth to life, gives more meaning to our relationships, and provides more context in our work. Listening to each other's stories helps us to show empathy, better connect to one another, and better understand complex thought. Storytelling is universal and multi-cultural, involving a process of give and take. Stories can reveal personal power as well as personal identity.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Remembering a story, then, is more powerful than recalling facts.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 14.0pt;">Storytelling as a Pedagogical Tool</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">Storytelling is a powerful pedagogical tool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Simply put, storytelling is delivering information in an organic form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The teacher, the storyteller, and the performer share a similar purpose: to inform, engage, and entertain their audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They all seek to communicate their message in the most compelling and provocative way possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>After all, as author Gail Goodwin says, "Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater!" Telling a story engages the audience in a unique way. Storytelling, then, is yet another device in the repertoire of a good teacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It is not only a potent tool for the teacher as a way of organizing information, but as a dynamic means for students to express what they have learned. The magic of storytelling changes the atmosphere in the classroom and in so doing enhances the learning environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Stories serve to open the mind so that the hearer is ready to take things in. In short, stories appeal to the heart, and, once the heart is won, the mind is open to learn!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 14.0pt;">Educational Objectives</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black;">Stories promote lively imagination on the part of students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>When students listen to a story, they create mind pictures, make inferences and predictions, and fill in the gaps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They in a sense become involved in creating the story, thus forming a relationship with the narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>When packaged as a story, the oral delivery of information promotes greater involvement than does written language. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black;">In order to appeal to different learning styles, it is necessary to transcend the traditional presentation of fact and theory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Stories are concrete; they exemplify concepts better than abstract, non-creative methods. Teaching storytelling also teaches presentation, communication, and writing skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Using storytelling as a method of instruction and assessment supports educational objectives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>These include:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">improving verbal skills</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">gaining self-confidence</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">discovering the meaning of events</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">developing a love for language and stories</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">encouraging higher levels of cognitive thinking</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">gaining a more in-depth understanding of narration</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">improving imaginative skills</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">internalizing the traditional structure and conventions of stories</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">improving writing skills</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">encourage active participation in the creation of stories</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black;">Storytelling is such an effective tool for the teacher because it is a powerful form of communication. Both the student and the teacher benefit from it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Students learn from hearing stories because they pay closer attention, understand the message more readily, and retain key points longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Teachers become better educators because being able to tell a story effectively enhances the perception of the teacher as a leader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>A teacher who can adeptly tell a tale reveals an approachable, likeable, and human side to his or her personality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This helps to close the distance between the teacher and the students by making the teacher's status less threatening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 14.0pt;">Classroom Applications</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black;">When preparing one's notes for a class lesson, a teacher decides how best to present the material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Consider packaging the information in the form of a story rather than a lecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>When deciding how to help the students to process information, or to assess what students have learned, consider having the students recreate the information in the form of a story and then tell it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Here are some ways that storytelling can be applied to the classroom setting.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Create a story to illustrate new concepts or ideas.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Express a topic or theme by narrating a story about it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Explain historical events by narrating them as stories.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Invent and tell the story of historical figures meeting one another <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>or about characters from different stories meeting.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Put knowledge that needs to be assessed in a narrative form and </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>tell the story to the teacher and class.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Take a familiar story and retell it with characters and situations </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>based on curricular material.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 1.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">Place yourself in a familiar story and narrate the events from your </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>first-person point of view.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: black;">As a pedagogical tool, teachers should use storytelling to explore cultural diversity, to survey storytelling methods, to discover a variety of ways to create stories, to integrate the curriculum, to foster imagination, and to investigate the power of narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Stories go beyond the mere presentation of facts; instead, they involve the students by engaging the imagination and promoting conceptual connections to the information being presented.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Keith Caldwell, M. Ed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>23 May 2012</span></i></b></div>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2012/07/storytelling-as-pedagogical-tool.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Keith Caldwell, M.Ed.)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-7106297399240568870Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:29:00 +00002011-08-24T16:07:09.921-04:00Jeffrey BillardComic Books and Chemistry: a Perfect Match!When I was in 8th grade my history teacher had us learn about economics through, of all things, a comic book, and now almost 40 years later, I can still remember it. So what does that say about learning? It says to me that the material, which I found incredibly boring, was presented to me in a medium that engaged me-hence I truly learned it. Later when I got to high school I found myself bored to death in a chemistry class and distinctly remember having to memorize the periodic table. Why I had to do that, when I could have just looked it up when I needed the information, I'll never know. I did it, but didn't care about the information or understand why we were learning it, so I remembered if for the test and promptly forgot it. Sound familiar?<br /><br />But after looking at the University of Kentucky site <a href="http://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/">The Periodic Table of Comic Books</a> by John P. Selegue and F. James Holler, I wish I could go back and study it this way. Like the economics unit in my Junior High days, I would probably still remember something from high school chemistry. <br /><br />Does this look at all tantalizing to you? How do you think it might look to a high school student who is not excited about learning this material? That's the key now isn't it?<br /><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 685px;"><tbody>
<tr align="left" valign="top"><td align="center" colspan="3" valign="middle" width="523"><img alt="History of Chemistry in the Comics" border="0" height="180" id="Picture4099" src="http://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/assets/images/pttitle_new.png" usemap="#map0" width="523" /><map name="map0"> <area alt="Click here to see what's new at the Periodic Table of Comic Books." coords="0,0,523,180" href="http://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/html/whatsnew.html" shape="RECT"></area> </map> </td> <td colspan="2"><br /></td> </tr>
<tr align="left" valign="top"> <td colspan="9" height="13"><br /></td> </tr>
<tr align="left" valign="top"> <td colspan="2" height="124"><img alt="" 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" /></td> <td align="center" colspan="7" valign="middle" width="559"><br /></td> </tr>
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</tbody></table>Many thanks to trulygreenfish for tweeting this link.<br /><br />http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2011/08/comics-and-chemistry-perfect-match.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-4917032781508106Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:37:00 +00002011-08-24T19:12:12.628-04:00Classroom set upJeffrey BillardStanding Up in Class: an Option to Enhance Learning for StudentsThink about how you position yourself when you read a book, use your laptop or peruse through a newspaper or magazine. Chances are sitting in a hard, straight back chair in front of a small desk doesn't rank high on your list. In fact as I write this I'm stretched out on a chaise in our living room with my computer resting on a portable laptop desk. Fact is we all have preferences as to how we'd like to be positioned when doing these tasks, so the question of why do we limit student options in this same area is a natural one to ask. We need to break out of the mindset of what the classic classroom looks like. Schools need to adapt for the betterment of the students; the students shouldn't have to adapt to the physical aspects of the school.<br /><br />The graduate program I went through at Lesley University met for one weekend a month; we would start at 5pm on Friday and go till 10, then go from 8-5 on Saturday and Sunday. Now for much of that time we were up and moving, but during those times when being seated was the norm, I would very often find myself standing, a nearby bookcase providing a perfect spot. Maybe that's why this <i>Hartford Courant</i> article <a href="http://articles.courant.com/2011-08-22/features/hc-mommy-minute-20110822_1_stand-up-desks-adhd-children-from-nature-deficit-disorder?utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_campaign=LDOnLine.org">"A Stand Up Idea to Shake Things Up in the Classroom"</a> prompted a great deal of thought and this post. The writer Sara Cody discusses the use of stand-up desks and how one Connecticut elementary school is starting to place them in classrooms. In discussing this change Larry Sparks, Assistant Principal of the Roaring Brook Elementary School in Avon says, "teachers have to understand that their objective is not to get them [students] to sit but to achieve. For the kids, if they can improve their concentration while standing, all the better." Other schools across the country are using yoga balls and bean bag chairs for the same purpose. <br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W09DvNkZ58A/TlT62FXEILI/AAAAAAAAB7E/Y9WF5YCbj70/s1600/Stand+up+Desk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W09DvNkZ58A/TlT62FXEILI/AAAAAAAAB7E/Y9WF5YCbj70/s1600/Stand+up+Desk.jpg" /></a><br />Now I'm not endorsing this product or receiving any compensation, I just wanted to see what one of these desks might look like and happened to come across this one. I've also included the description.<br /><br /><h1 id="product-name" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.google.com/products/catalog?oe=utf-8&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;q=stand+up+desks&amp;um=1&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;tbm=shop&amp;cid=103"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="main-title" itemprop="name">Safco 1208GR AlphaBetter Large <b>Stand Up</b> Student <b>Desk</b> - Centuria Grey</span></span></a></h1><div id="product-rating-plusone"></div><i>"For many students everyday classroom life involves trying to sit still, taking focus away from learning. With the AlphaBetter Desk students are able to stand up during the school day and move around without being a distraction to their classmates or teachers, all while improving their concentration. This completely new way of learning is creating a more productive learning environment. Research has shown standing alone can burn extra calories, and with the ability to move around students burn more excess energy and improves focus. FEATURES: The Pendulum Footrest Bar: The swinging motion helps burn excess energy and calories Top finished<span id="ps-extra-desc" style="display: inline;"> in gray Phenolic, a damage resistant polymer plastic. Adjustable height for grades 3-12."</span></i><br /><br /><span id="ps-extra-desc" style="display: inline;">The point is we have to take a long, hard look at the way we set up our learning environments and consider if we are doing the best for all of our students.</span><i><span id="ps-extra-desc" style="display: inline;"><br /></span></i>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2011/08/standing-up-in-class-option-to-enhance.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-1013265148134920317Fri, 05 Aug 2011 02:05:00 +00002011-08-05T18:11:49.706-04:00EdevolutionJeffrey BillardStudent Voices on "Education Evolution" We Learn Creatively<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: left;">Sir Ken Robinson posted this video on Facebook, and I am so glad he did. It's been my contention all along that the real positive changes in our educational system are going to come from the students up, and these young people are making their voices heard loud and clear. Now it's up to teachers, administrators, government officials and other stakeholders to listen and act. Please go and check out what these students are producing, as they hit it right on the head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif; text-align: left;"><i>From their site</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">"Welcome to edevolution, a video project thought of and created by G/T&nbsp; middle students in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Thank you for taking time to watch the video and visit this website! For more information about what&nbsp;the Education Evolution&nbsp;is and what it means, take a look at a quick summary of us <a href="http://edevolution.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" title="here">here</a> or head to the <a href="http://edevolution.wordpress.com/blog/" target="_blank" title="blog page">blog page</a>.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Don’t know why you’re here or came here by accident? Watch the video anyway!"</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/eGvl5dg3l2M/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eGvl5dg3l2M&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eGvl5dg3l2M&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2011/08/student-voices-on-education-evolution.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-5558902594150756147Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:48:00 +00002011-08-02T16:48:05.177-04:00Jeffrey BillardBring a Poem to Class that You Don't Understand<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">I love this idea tweeted by Carol Jago, she writes, "Don't be afraid to bring a poem you don't understand to class. Model your own process for making sense of what's on the page- what's obscure"</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">What a great idea to make sense out of something in front of and with the students in your class. Modelling this process will pay huge dividends with all students but especially those who give up easily saying they don't understand something. Of course these instances should be tempered by the fact that we should make meaning for ourselves based on a close reading of the text and not worry so much about what the author intended when he or she wrote it-it may be a fun exercise but who really knows?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Teachers should feel compelled to give up some control in the classroom and admit when they don't know something, while encouraging everyone to figure it out together. This has been a very important practice in my classroom, as it makes it okay to be wrong or not know something for the students, and it humanizes the teacher as a facilitator and not someone who is on an academic pedestal.</span>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2011/08/bring-poem-to-class-that-you-dont.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-5325219367629209737Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:20:00 +00002011-08-02T16:20:08.792-04:00Formative AssessmentJeffrey BillardMore Practical Examples of Formative Assessments<span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Check out the </span><a href="http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/ExamplesofFormativeAssessment.html" style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">West Virginia Department of Education site</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"> for some more examples of formative assessments. Some great ideas here. Thanks to teachersharetp for the Twitter link to the site.</span>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2011/08/more-practical-examples-of-formative.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4345241502071833542.post-4514453945731560978Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:43:00 +00002011-08-03T07:21:17.434-04:00Brain ResearchJeffrey BillardHarvard Professor calls Lecture Outdated and Largely Ineffective<div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Reading Dennis Pierce's excellent article in <a href="http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/ending-the-tyranny-of-the-lecture/">eCampus News</a> on Harvard professor Eric Mazur's discussion that lecture is an outdated and largely ineffective way for students to learn. It seems like every day we read about or hear someone discuss the inefficiency of lecture as a tool for learning. So the question remains, why do so many educators keep up the practice? One possibility is that many people tend to teach the way they were taught and so the system propagates itself. If that's the case, then we need to break the cycle, and so, once again, we call for a paradigm shift in the way we prepare students to learn.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">The article goes on to say "educators need to transfer information... but students also need to do something with this information to make it stick—not simply parrot it back during a test, but actually assimilate it and take ownership of it, so they can apply this knowledge in a different context. If students can’t do that, he said, then they haven’t really learned anything."</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">So the first key seems to be the transfer of information/concepts from teacher to student. Clearly lecture is the least successful method of doing this with most brain-based learning research putting it at 5-10% retention-hardly worth the time. Integrating the arts is a perfect way of accomplishing this-getting the students involved artistically or kinesthetically is a much more effective method. In addition it engages and energizes students because it is active and circular instead of linear. It is an exchange of ideas and not a one-way path from the teacher to the students.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">The second key seems to be the assimilation and ownership of the material which can be accomplished by the students rehearsing with the material in order to make meaning out of it. Brain-based research is clear-that learning needs to be meaningful in order for students to really learn it. Gone are the days-if they were ever really there-where students will accept comments like this will "come in handy later in life" or they'll need it to "get into college". Those are just not enough. And shouldn't we be making clear to students exactly why they are learning something at the outset of the lesson or allowing them to reflect and communicate the meaning of the lesson for themselves.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Thanks to ASCD for the link on Twitter.</span>http://teachingthroughthearts.blogspot.com/2011/08/harvard-professor-calls-lecture.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jeffrey Billard)1